H.S. FOOTBALL: Week 11 rankings

Despite some solid runs, there will be no state or even sectional champions among the teams from our poll this season.

Underdogs Abington and Scituate put up valiant efforts, but fell to undefeated top seeds in sectional finals on Friday.

The theme of this fall was parity. While there were no juggernauts, nearly every team spent most weeks in competitive battles. Several programs had their best seasons in a long time and I expect several teams to threaten state titles next fall.

The rankings will return after Thanksgiving.

Record and last week’s ranking in parenthesis.

1. Scituate (8-2, 1) – The Sailors gave Dennis-Yarmouth, a team that has looked untouchable since the start of the season, everything it could handle in the Division 5 South Sectional finals. The Dolphins were one of the few teams in the state that have an offense that can hang with Scituate’s. The Sailors now turn their attention to a date with Hingham next Wednesday at Fenway Park. Jack Johnson (Hingham) and Aidan Sullivan (Scituate) are two of the best quarterbacks in the area. Those two are also juniors, meaning we haven’t even seen their best yet.

2. Abington (6-4, 2) – The Green Wave once against played two-time defending state champion Mashpee tough, but fell short. Abington is the only team that has hung in with the Falcons over the last two seasons. The Green Wave close out the year with a tough Thanksgiving game against Whitman-Hasnon. That one should be one of the more entertaining games of the day.

3. Hingham (7-3, 5) – The Harbormen bounced back from a disappointing loss to Duxbury in the semifinals with a hard-fought win over Stoughton, 13-10. An eight-win season would be a great accomplishment for a football program that is clearly on the rise.

4. Norwell (8-2, 3) – Bryce Griffin added another four touchdowns to his tally with a 38-26 win over Dedham. A nine-win season would be the most for Norwell in over a decade.

5. Rockland (7-3, 4) – The Bulldogs’ defense continues to hound opponents, as they held Archbishop Williams to 7 points in another solid win. Rockland will look for win No. 8 at East Bridgewater on Thanksgiving. The Bulldogs have won their most games since 2010 this fall.

6. Braintree (7-3, NR) – Seven wins are the most the Wamps have had since 2004. A Thanksgiving showdown with Milton should be a high-scoring and exciting affair.

7. Silver Lake (6-4, 6) – The Lakers have quietly put together a really nice season. Silver Lake’s losses have come against Dennis-Yarmouth, Hingham, Duxbury and Whitman-Hanson, all of which reached the postseason. Three of those teams reached the sectional semifinals and D-Y looks well on its way to a state title.

On the bubble: Cohasset 5-5

Football Power Rankings are decided with the help of several factors: record, strength of schedule, performance against teams and margin of victory. The public schools in our coverage area include: Abington, Braintree, Carver, Cohasset, Hanover, Hingham, Marshfield, Norwell, Pembroke, Plymouth North, Plymouth South, Rockland, Scituate, Silver Lake and Weymouth. Send nominations for players of the week to cmcdaniel@wickedlocal.com or reach on Twitter @ChrisMcDaniel88.